A CONTROVERSIAL redevelopment project in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) will proceed as planned, without adverse effects on Taman Rimba Kiara, Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa said today.

He said the 100 families occupying a longhouse at the site had been waiting 38 years to get a new home promised by the government.

“I want to make sure that every family here gets a free home as soon as possible. They have waited a long time; some have died while waiting.

“It would not be fair for them to wait another 15 years,” he said after presenting aid to the TTDI longhouse residents in Kuala Lumpur, today.

He said care would be taken to ensure that the construction project did not harm the adjacent green lung of Taman Rimba Kiara.

“... developers will also build additional green areas on their private land. We will not allow the developers to build roads or cut down trees on land gazetted for Taman Rimba Kiara.

“The Hindu temple here will also be maintained with some modifications,” he said.

He said the project would prioritise the construction of new homes for the longhouse residents before commencing work to build the commercial units.

The Taman Rimba Kiara project has from the start met opposition from TTDI residents, who said it would destroy the greenery in the area. The residents on February 7 lost their case in the Court of Appeal, which ruled that they did not have legal standing to object to the development.

The developer has since agreed to reduce the size of the project from 4.9ha to 3.2ha. It will also build housing for the 100 longhouse residents on the site. – Bernama, April 11, 2020.